What Causes Back Pain?
Back pain is one of the most common complaints among Hong Kong professionals. The leading causes include prolonged sitting and poor desk posture, muscle strain from lifting, lumbar disc herniation pressing on the sciatic nerve, degenerative changes in the spine, and cold-damp exposure from air-conditioned offices. In TCM terms, back pain arises when qi and blood circulation in the lumbar meridians is blocked — "where there is stagnation, there is pain."
How Does Chinese Medicine Treat Back Pain?
TCM treatment for back pain is tailored to your diagnosis pattern. Cold-damp back pain (worse in cold weather) is treated with warming therapies; blood-stasis back pain (sharp, fixed pain after injury) responds to acupuncture and bone-setting; kidney-deficiency back pain (dull ache with weak knees) is addressed with herbal medicine. At SYT Wellness, our practitioners combine acupuncture at key lumbar points, spinal adjustment to correct vertebral misalignment, and Tui Na massage to release tight muscles — treating both the symptom and the root cause.
Self-Care for Back Pain Relief
- Stand up and stretch every 45 minutes if you sit all day
- Apply a heat pack to the lower back for 15 minutes
- Bend your knees when lifting — never bend at the waist
- Sleep on a medium-firm mattress, and avoid sleeping on your stomach
When Should You See a Practitioner?
See a TCM practitioner if your back pain has lasted more than two weeks, keeps recurring, or radiates into your buttock or leg (sciatica). Seek urgent care if you experience numbness in the legs or any loss of bladder or bowel control. SYT Wellness treats back pain at both Wan Chai and Jordan clinics. Book online or WhatsApp Wan Chai 5427 3297 / Jordan 5993 9638.